St. Clair Historical Museum

10/07/2026

This is October 7. SEVENTEEN DAYS until the St. Clair Historical Museum Chili Cook-Off Contest and Ozark Pie Supper and Auction. We've got the space. We have the MC. We have the prizes for Chili and contest winners. NOW--all we need is YOU!

We Need to Know if you are coming, in order to plan our food! You can get tickets at the Museum this Saturday, at Route 66 This and That next to the license office Tuesday-Saturday, or from any Museum officer.

We still need people to enter the Chili Contest, and commit to bringing chili. We need people to COMMIT NOW to bring a pie to auction, a cake or other baked goods for the cakewalk. Tickets are STILL $10 a person, $5 for 6-12, and free for 5 and under.
You can also pay at the door--but we need to know you plan to come!

636 667 4162, 636 667 0231 for verbal or text messages for Chili, or baked goods donations or to secure TICKETS. You can also go to the Facebook Event here and push the button to let us know you will be there. 5 pm to 8:30, St. Clair Elks Lodge.

It is a fun, family friendly evening!

HOPE TO HEAR FROM YOU SOON!

09/17/2026

St. Clair Historical Museum OPEN this Saturday 9/19

We found someone to mind the museum Noon to 4 p.m. this Saturday! Come on in--the door will be open.

Carla will be at R&R repping for the museum at their craft show, but the MUSEUM DOORS WILL BE OPEN this Saturday, too.
(And, if you have been in recently, the ceiling lights are now fixed!--We'd appreciate you coming to our Chili Cook-off and Pie Supper Auction on October 24 at the Elks to help pay for the lights...hint, hint...)

We still need MORE PEOPLE who can donate 4 hours on occasional Saturdays to help us maintain our schedule--talk to the nice person who volunteered for this Saturday or to Carla to help out. Thank you and hope to see you on October 24th.

09/10/2026

St. Clair Historical Museum CHANGED HOURS for September:

Open as usual Sept. 12, noon to 4 p.m. Come on in!

On Saturday September 19: Carla Wulfers will be at the R&R Ace Craft Fair from 9 a.m. to the Fair close (probably about 3 or 4 p.m.) She will have Museum hats, gift items, books--Chili Cook-off Contest and Pie Supper baked goods signups. The museum will not be open, so come see Carla at R&R!

Saturday September 26. Closed.
Sunday September 27 --open noon to 4 p.m. This will be our last Sunday hours for a while, since October is the Franklin County History Fair in Union, and then we are into the holiday season.

Two of our usually helpful volunteers will be traveling on personal business in September--but it will be all hands on deck in October in preparation for the Chili-Cookoff Contest and Pie Supper!

We regret these closures. We desperately need a few more people to donate a few hours once every other month to help keep the doors open. Volunteering to help us is not rocket science: Any adult knowing a little bit about St. Clair, and dependable enough to be where you say you will be is eligible. The best way is to volunteer one of the days we have someone scheduled, and have you shadow them for a day. Then the next opportunity is yours alone! It is fun, you meet the coolest visitors, and even learn some things about St. Clair you never knew.
Even if you can only help out occasionally--on call--we'd appreciate you more than you could know!

Want to help? Email [email protected] or call or text 636 667 0231 or 667 4162.

08/28/2026

We're starting to gather the food for the Chili Cook-Off Contest and the Pie Supper Auction! We've got some cool prizes for the Chili Cook-Off and the humorous contests! Plus the bragging rights!

We are taking 15 entrants for the Chili Cook-Off. Maybe more later, if we get more people to sign up to come. You can sign up: (Name and phone number) at the Museum starting Saturday, or Route 66 This and That, or online at https://signup.com/go/iGymZVE

We are also looking for a count for people to bring baked goods for the Cake Walk and Pie Auction. Will have signups at the same places, except online at https://signup.com/go/sWGwSBg

You can also call and leave a message or text to 636 667 4162 or 636 667 0231. If you do this leave name, number and if it is to bring chili or baked goods. There is a deadline of October 16 to be in the contest (and get free admission for dinner).

You can just show up and bring some baked goods on October 24. Or drop off that day after 3 p.m.-- but we hope you can come join us for the fun. One year, someone even baked dog treats! But we'd like to know ahead of time so we will be sure to have enough on hand!

You can get tickets at either physical place, online via the flyer QR code, or call for a reservation and pay at the door. Again this is for planning-- walk ins to eat or bring baked goods are always welcome.

Hope to see you on October 24th!

08/20/2026

We're announcing our 4th Annual Chili Cook-Off Contest and Ozark Pie Supper for OCTOBER 24, 2026. Unlike last year, this will be chili weather!

This is our big Museum fundraiser for 2026. People who have come have asked us to "do it again" and so we are. We appreciate all the support St. Clair and the surrounding area gives us. See the flyer for ticket details. As we did last year, If you bring a pot of chili for the contest, you can get in free, but you MUST register (for free) with us by October 16, the previous Friday. This is for our planning purposes: last year people just "showed up" with chili and we had way too much!

Dennis Strothcamp has agreed to play music for us, and Rick Mansfield to be our MC--again! We appreciate their help.

So now-- put it on your calendar, and plan to come. We have three ways to get tickets--prices are the same as last year: $10 for adults, and $5 for children 6 to 12. Hope to see you there--this event is loads of fun for a great cause--to keep the lights on and the doors open at St. Clair's Historical Museum!

07/22/2026

Yesterday I got us some publicity from the My Leader Papers of Jefferson County at the UP 4014 Whistlestop: It goes from 22:00 to 26:00.

Enjoy. https://www.facebook.com/myleaderpaper/videos/1544658377203178

Send a message to learn more

07/18/2026

We have a crowd source request for our fans and followers: does anyone have a photo of the entire Hibbard Hotel? It was located at Main and now Hibbard Street just across from the tracks. The museum has a project we are working on about it. We have located one partial view, but having the whole thing would be much better.

If anyone does, we'd like to scan it at a high resolution for our use. You will be credited as the person with the image.

Thanks! (We'd post an image with this request--but we don't have one. Also still looking for a photo of the Traveler's Repose Tavern and info on the person for whom the town was named. Most 19th century sources say it was a civil engineer with the Southwest Branch of the Pacific Railroad, but we still have no first name or solid documentation on this. )

Send a message to learn more

07/16/2026

There is a St. Louis Cardinals themed basket and raffle going on to benefit the museum at Route 66 This and That. The raffle is open until July 31--the drawing will be that evening.

If you like baseball stuff, this is an ideal raffle for you! See the photos. We didn't do the rummage sale this year, And our next event will be the Chili Cookoff and Pie Supper on October 24.

Meanwhile--go by Route 66 This and That, and put a buck or two on this raffle! We appreciate all St. Clair does for us!

07/13/2026

Something positive for St. Clair!
When the St. Clair Historical Museum and the local Library branch cooperated on a Route 66 event on a very rainy June 13, we thought this was a great try, but the weather did not cooperate. I've been out of town a week, and came back to July 9th Senior Life/Times front page coverage of the panel discussion we facilitated with some of our seniors. On the panel, talking about Route 66, were Jerome Ritter, Tom Yoder, Maxine Scheske, Pat Prugh and Wanda Obermark, with some audience assistance from Patsy Starks.
Very nice article, including the map of US 66 through town I drew based on Max Scheske's recollections. The article is online (under a paywall) at the Missourian newspaper, but there are still paper copies out there on newsstands. No, I don't work for the Missourian, but hey--St. Clair gets a little recognition!

06/29/2026

The preliminary display “ Revolutionary War Veterans Buried in Franklin County, MO. is now available for your viewing pleasure. It’s not complete but I wanted something out before the 4th.